Claire Foy

0:03Hello and welcome to Table Manners. I'm Jessie Ware and I'm in Clapham with Lenny. Yep. You're in a bit of pain today. Am I perry whatever it is? You are. I don't know. Some sort of spasm in my bottom. So beware. Okay. Sorry about that. Yeah. We're doing tea today. Afternoon tea. Fit for a queen. I hope so. We have Claire Foy coming over, who is just like an incredible actress. Wow, she's so good. One of the greats. Yeah. Queen Elizabeth, obviously, in The Crown. Perfect. She played such an interesting bit. It was a really good line. I think, yeah. Where she falls in love with Prince Philip. She was so fantastic.

0:42And she's so beautiful. She played Andrew Scott's mother in All of Us Strangers, which was heartbreaking. And she was amazing. Amazing. I mean, she's been in so many things. Yeah. But most recently, she is in H is for Hawk, which is an adapted memoir, which is about grief, really. And this woman, an academic, who gets a gosthawk. If somebody said they had a gosthawk, I wouldn't know what they were talking about. Now I would. But when he came out, when they had the little helmet on, I thought that's how their heads were. I didn't realise she had a helmet on. The helmet's quite fat. Yeah, it's strange, isn't it?

1:19It's supposed to block the hawk size. Anyway, I now know loads about hawks. And I'm quite amazed that Claire Foy's co-star was a hawk. And she acted well with Mabel. She was bloody good with the hawk as well. Amazing. Yeah. So because Claire was coming in the afternoon, I'm sure she's been doing press all day. Yeah. It's a funny time for food. It is. So you've decided to do an afternoon tea. I've done an afternoon tea fit for a queen. So I've done little mini quiches. I've done coronation chicken sandwiches. Do you think she's so sick of everyone being like, coronation chicken? Well, she doesn't have to eat them.

1:56Okay, fair. I've also done mini trifles, because everyone loves a trifle. and I've made madeleines which have nothing to do with the Queen at all. What about Lily Allen? Oh, well I didn't think about her when I was making madeleines, darling. So I've made madeleines because my fabulous chiropractor said he makes them all the time. Yeah, as he was concentrating on my bottom, he said he makes them all the time and he's mad about them and they're so delicious. So I thought I'll have a go at doing those and they come in a nice shape. Did you have madeleine? No, I bought the madeleine moulds. Okay, amazing.

2:32We'll be having madeleines for... A lot of madeleines we'll be having. Lovely. And then, from what I heard, the Queen Mother, and the Queen used to share this with her, they used to have, the late afternoon, after tea I should imagine, a Dubonnet and gin. What is Dubonnet? Dubonnet is a vermouth, it's a red vermouth. So it's a bit like... A bit like a groney? It's a bit like a martini because it's a vermouth, isn't it? Oh, yeah. Anyway, we're going to see if she fancies one of those. But I've also got on ice, in the fridge, some Cosmos. Because like myself, she's a Cosmo. How did you find that out in the research?

3:13I don't know. Probably reading about what she likes. So, yeah, we're really excited to have Claire Foy coming on Table Manners and having afternoon tea with us. Claire Foy coming up.

3:36Claire Foy, welcome. Thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you. And you. Mum has something to say. What do you have to say? Well, I wanted to know whether he wanted a cup of tea. Oh, right. Yeah. Or a Cosmo, because I know you like a Cosmo, darling. Oh, my God, it's been a really long time. I can't get hammered. I have to go on television. If we fill your tummy, then you can have a Cosmo. I don't know. I don't really drink anymore. Oh, okay. No, no, but I don't drink as I used to. Oh. Which for me is really drinking. I'm pretty disappointed. Well, then the worry is that I'll just get smashed and then let it all come out.

4:11Jessie hardly drinks at all, unlike her mother. Well, maybe I can just nurse it. So hold on a sec. The other thing on offer. Oh, right. Obviously a cup of tea. Yeah. Have one then. I was very excited because I read that the Queen's mother and the Queen used to partake of a kind of late afternoon, a Dubonnet and gin. Did you do that on the crowd? She doesn't do that. See, I heard she wasn't much of a... I think they were on the source. But the Queen was not much of a drinker. I think she used to share it with her mum. They probably watched Countdown together and drank Dubonnet and gin. So I did get Dubonnet.

4:52and gin. Did you really? Is that the blue spherical? No, it's the red bottle. Oh, I always thought it was a red balloon. Maybe we'll just like, so we can have an opinion on it, I'll have a sip of it. But Claire did retch when you said that. No. She's not my friend. Okay. So, you could just have a cup of tea if you want, babe. I did bring my own tea bag. Oh my god. No, I've Nor Gallagher. Why? Did Nor Gallagher bring a few tea bags? Yeah, Yorkshire tea by any chance. No, no, no. I don't have caffeine in any one either. So I have TikTok. Oh, you better give me one of those. Okay, I'm not going to push a cocktail on you if you're a Roy Bush gal.

5:26No, I think she better not. I think maybe we don't want to know where this will end. We'll give her one for the, we'll give her a can to take home. Can I have it? And I can just sip it and you won't be mortally offended if I don't drink the whole thing. I'll finish it after. Okay, great. Perfect. Let's share a cocktail. When did you stop drinking caffeine? Um, oh, quite a few years ago. I had parasites. Gross. Shouldn't breathe. No, Oh, I love this. Did you do this from like a blood test or like a stool test? Yeah, the gross stuff. Because you were having issues with your tummy? I kept losing weight and I didn't know what was going on.

6:00Mate, I don't want to keep that fucking parasite. But also like no matter how, I was just like, I'm eating everything. I was so hungry. Where do you think you got it from? Morocco. Yeah. And I'd had it quite a long time. How many years did you have it? At least five years. Yeah. I made travel as a pair, I got told by the doctor. Gross. Absolutely rank. It's disgusting. Anyway, so that's why I gave up caffeine, because I had to give up. I basically had to go on this diet and take all these, like, non, like, because I didn't want to take, like, really hardcore antibiotics and stuff like that for it.

6:33So I took all this little, like, gross stuff. And part of that was giving up caffeine. And I was like, once you've given it up, it's such a mission to give it up. That I was like, well, maybe I'll just give it a go of not. Yeah, the headaches are so bad. Yeah. When you give it up, aren't they? Yeah. Yeah, I mean, and I was a real kind of like, I drank at least 15 cups of tea a day. And then, like, I had my two coffees that I had staged. Oh, God. Very pleasing. Okay. Just think of them there together. Yeah, I know. It's like Lenny and Josh. What's it? I feel like the Queen Mother and you can be...

7:08Yeah. It smells like a shit mix. Do you remember when you do that when you're younger and you just pour anything in. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. La Chai. Is it? Shabbat shalom. Cheers. Right, hang on. Oh, wow, darling. Oh, I'm really happy with my choice. Okay. That is like what me and Zoe Pilger used to make when we were like trying to sneak things out of the drinks cabinet. Well, it's what the queen made, darling. Wow, she was a wild woman. Wow. Woo! What are you going to do with the rest of that de bonnet? Drink it. You'll get through it. Don't worry. It's fine. I know. It's quite bitter. So congratulations on the film.

7:49Wow. Thank you. How's it feeling? I mean, I've had some time to get used to it now. When at first people started first watching, I felt very, very, very strange about it. Is that how you feel every time that you really? And I've always been slightly, other actors who go, I really struggle to let go of things. I always was a bit like, I don't, like, I'm fine. When I finish a job, I'm sort of quite, I'm always just quite sort of glad. then it's over um but with and I was glad this one was over but I was I just it felt really really like close it felt a bit I was you know a bit raw and it was very intense to make amazing to make but um yeah it felt like a bit of a strange thing for people to watch it was like people having cameras in my house felt like it felt very intimate you have to say because it's such a study of someone's grief and sadness and depression, really.

8:46Yeah. And I don't really feel like... Like it was quite a lonely thing to make. Yeah, I'm sure it was. It was just me and... The hawk. Yeah, some hawks. Does the hawk... Where is Mabel now? There are five of them. So she's all like... Five Mabel! She's scattered across the country. That must have been really hard because the whole premise of the relationship with the hawk is that you have to get to know each other. The hawk has to trust you. So you had to do these whole kind of, obviously these were like pro hawks that are like acting hawks, whatever. I don't know. Well, I mean, they, they, they are kept.

9:20So Rose and Lloyd Buck, who are the sort of trainers, but sort of basically the hawk gurus, they have many birds. Two of them are eagles. They've got swans and they have only ever really shot like David Attenborough and natural history before. They don't do like drama, like long form kind of film like this. they would have like a, you know, like a raven that would be in something. And so they've got all these incredible birds. But the Gozhawks are notoriously like really difficult to train. And just like, no, I'm not filming today. Sorry. Like the biggest diva on set was the Gozhawk. Yeah, I suppose diva, but, you know, wore it very, very loosely.

9:59Like not like, not demanding, just very in their own. They're just like, no, it's not happening. And the whole issue is that they don't connect. They don't show affection. They're not responsive. I suppose not in like a conventional dog horse, you know, pet way. Do you think any bird? I suppose budgies do. Or budgies parrots. Parrots, yeah. They do connect. But the whole thing about the hawk was the lack of connection. And you need to connect because of the connection with your dad. Yeah, I think so. And Helen speaks about in the memoir about that wanting to be more like Mabel, like wanting to sort of.

10:37Mabel's the hawk. Mabel's the hawk. Sorry. Yeah. Mabel's the god's hawk. And wanting to kind of, because the pain of losing someone is so overwhelming and massive, like massive, that they wanted to kind of be like this bird of prey that seemed to have no, you know, didn't feel these emotions and was able to kind of like absent themselves and be disconnected. and that that was easier than being a human being, which it is. But that didn't really work because Helen fell in love with Mabel and Mabel fell in love with Helen. It's really tender and it's a quiet film. It's kind of grand in many ways with the landscapes and that amazing shot of Mabel catching the rabbit.

11:18Yeah. Like all of it and the ideas are big. It's actually a lot of the shots are you sitting with Mabel in, well Helen sitting with Mabel in the flat and the house and it's quiet it's very quiet and I wonder how working with a hawk which isn't an actor how challenging that was for you was it the weirdest form of improvisation ever yeah well I suppose it's like a really like distilled version of improvisation I suppose it doesn't really change does it I mean acting is about I mean for me anyway it's always about that other actor like basically I whatever they're doing I'm interested in what they're doing and watching and listening what they're doing and therefore that helps me not think be self-conscious basically and it's you're always invested in what the other person is trying to do and you're trying to find out why they're trying to do what they're doing and all that sort of stuff so it wasn't really any different for me for you know my approach to acting it didn't feel any different it just felt really really like it was on speed because you were with a wild wild creature and whilst also having to be open to the idea of where the hell the scene was going to go also know as the only actor in the room that I had to make it go somewhere for me and also for Mabel like I had to make sure that she wasn't doing something that would be inappropriate you know you know I mean I had to be in control of lots of myself and the bird as well at the same time which was was bizarre because normally you can be you know you can be surprised by the other actor but you both know that you're trying to get to the same goal yeah a lot of the time Mabel was like I'm no I'm not I'm not going where you're going so was it quite a lot of reshoots or no no so we actually did less takes we just did longer and we just did longer takes so the first kind of like there's a scene in it one of the first Manning scene where I sort of take off Mabel's hood yeah we just did that and one one take and it's one long kind of sequence of events from when I take her hood off and all that reaction is reacting were You were frightened?

13:17No, I was never frightened. I mean, it was frightened before we started shooting because I didn't know what to do. And I knew I had to build up such a level of skill in such a short space of time to make the film even possible. You weren't frightened she was going to attack you? No, because they didn't want to attack you. You made it up with a bad head. I know. But that's very specific to something that happened, which was that Mabel was like, don't take that. As in, like, give it back. Which is sort of like, I think, and I suppose maybe it's just because I see it from Helen's perspective that I find that to be quite an understandable thing.

13:51That's my mistake as the human being, as the falconer, who went, let me take that. And you know you're never supposed to do that. You have to offer them something to be able to get the food. Is there someone in this country that makes helmets for goshawks? Well, they're really fat. They really are, aren't they? I've got a couple. Next Halloween is going to be. I am a goshawk. But there's something, yeah, there are. There's websites, lovely things you can get. They're like slightly S &M as well. Yeah, it's all quite sort of dominatrix. It's sexy. Yeah, sex dungeon-y kind of vibe. Yeah, there's something great about it.

14:25Well, there is, isn't there, anyway, about the whole, it's very medieval, the whole process. Yeah, it is. But yeah, they still, you know, roaring trade. And someone who sells all the chicks that they eat. Yeah, that was a chick. I thought it was like a cuddly toy. No, it was a fucking chick. Well, it was awful when you had to give the lecture and then they attack you for allowing films to be killed. I know. But it's like you have to let that concept in. You couldn't really make the film without acknowledging that that is an animal rights issue. Yeah, you're kind of a voyeur to some... Yeah, like you've got to have that conversation.

14:59And Helen's never afraid to have that conversation. And I think a lot of falconers aren't afraid to have that chat and be like, yeah, interesting, okay, how so? But obviously at that point in the film, I'm not really able to have a kind of logical conversation, really. I presume the book got optioned straight away for a film, no doubt. Yeah. So has it been quite a long time in the making of making this film? Have you been involved for a while? Not really. I think other people got the option. Like, I think it was like in the nitty gritty of the business of it. I think someone got the option when it came out, maybe.

15:31And then what ends up happening, I think, is that people hold on to them and it never happens and blah, blah, blah, blah. but Dee Dee Gardner who produced the film she came to me with it when we'd done a film together called Women Talking which was incredible oh thanks I like that one it was unbelievable yeah I think it's a brilliant film and like you know oh yeah the cast and every you actually got to act apart like with you know humans in that one yes I did well no hold on Denise got also shout out to you oh my god amazing brilliant and also Brenda like I mean it's an amazing cast in H's for Hawthorne.

16:07It is. Which is always surprising. Whenever, like, I'm, when I'm the first person attached, I'm just always presuming everyone's going to be like, no, no. Like, I just, I'm so surprised. No. Like, I just, I just presume. You're like, you're like, she's a queen, Jessie. I'm a queen. Yeah. No, but I just presume, you know, it's like that thing about who wants to go to their own party, like who, you know, like a party that you're invited to, no one wants to go to it. She's like, where am I invited? But I sort of feel like that. And so when Brendan said he would do it, I was like, oh, my God, why?

16:39And then Denise, I just was, and then Lindsay Duncan, I was just a bit, like, surprised, basically. Are they all your best friends now? Not my best friends. Fran's not my best friends. Yeah, well, we have a connection. I just, like, blurted at you as you were taking your shoes off. a childhood friend who I grew up roaming these club and streets Frances Macy O 'Neill you went to uni with I did and we knew of you and I think actually Fran was very much I remember when you promised which was one of your kind of things yeah fabulous and I think we were all talking about real proud of you because you were family's friend thrilled well no because Fran was the first person that I met on the first day of university.

17:28We lived in the same weird sort of house and she was the first person I met and I fell madly in love with her. And then that was it, yeah, three whole years. Can you put some food on the table? Okay, cool. So what did you have for breakfast today, Claire? Oh, God. Actually, today was a random... I fried an egg and I put it on some toast and I ate it. Why is that random? I don't normally do that. So normally, normally I would have like, so I planned on doing exercise this morning and I attempted to and I drove and then I drove past where I was supposed to be doing the exercise. What were you supposed to be doing?

18:04You know, strength training, Pilates. So you had a date with a personal trainer? No, no, no. You were just doing it yourself? Oh, a class? Yeah. Oh, okay. Yeah. But I just, I just sort of kept driving after I dropped my daughter at school. You didn't fancy it? I just was very tired. I did a lot of yakety yak yesterday and I just was like, I think I just need to sit. in the house on my home. And did you have a nice morning then? It was a nice morning. I had a bath. I had my egg on toast. I love having a naughty bath in the day when it feels like it's not supposed to be happening. And the boiler's not supposed to be on, but it is.

18:35Oh, I loved that for you. Did you watch anything in the tub? No. What did I do? Well, I washed my hair, you see, so that takes a lot of effort. Okay. I was looking great. Thank you. I mean, I didn't do it myself. Because it would not if I did. It was really clean. Really squeaky, squeaky. Really clean. But yeah, normally I would do, so if I was doing exercise, I'd do like a protein sort of smoothie situation. Do you actually enjoy them? I do enjoy the one that I make. I mean, oh God, avocado. A pear. Random. I don't do, so this is my big secret. I feel like I'm in the traders or something and I'm letting everyone know that I'm related to someone.

19:15So I don't actually eat gluten or sugar. But listen to me. No, but listen to me. Except when I go out for dinner. Oh, okay. Okay. so this is a really don't worry everybody okay fine so you're just kind of quite strict when you're not I'm very strict but I love falling off the wagon when I'm out for dinner are you going to come up in a rash on the one no no no I'm not allergic okay fine and that's so much fucking sugar in everything that's amazing oh my god they look great you're really about to fall off shut up Are you so excited? That's the stick of like the queen stuff. No, I mean, well, I wouldn't associate this with her, really.

19:59We did. Oh, we did. Very good, very good. Well done, everyone. Very good. Is that a trifle? Yeah, a mini trifle. I just thought you might fancy it. My granddad loved a trifle. I love a trifle too. I mean, aren't they just? Yeah. The custard, the cream. I know, everything. So you were talking about your smoothie. Yes. Before we brought all the gluten and the sugar onto the stage. Yeah. And you just told us you don't eat gluten and sugar. Yeah. But you seem okay about it. I'm thrilled, yeah. Okay. Because I don't. The majority of my, except Christmas, that's sort of non-negotiable. And like, you know.

20:35And podcasts. And podcasts. Yeah. It's Christmas and podcasts. Especially this podcast. Yeah. Or like if you go to a really nice restaurant and they have the bread. Yeah. You're going to do that. Like Jay Shiki's or something. Then I eat that bread a lot. Okay. But then it doesn't have an impact on me. It's just because I have an autoimmune condition. so I should avoid anything which causes more inflammation. Okay, well, eat up, enjoy. So there's a little asparagus quiche and they're just ones with... Have you made these, Mum? Yeah. They look really cute. Do they? Thanks, Mum. I'm going in. Jessie, please go in.

21:09That's got bacon in. So let's talk about family. You just mentioned your grandfather loved a trifle. Loved a trifle. Who was around your dinner table when you were growing up and what was a very memorable dish? So around the dining table would be me, my brother, my sister and my mum. And my mum was looking after three children on her own and is a very, very good cook. And she would, her spag bol is legendary. Why is it so legendary? I've got no idea. And she can recreate it in any country because I've taken her with me many places now because she helps me look after my daughter when I'm working.

21:45And she literally has made it in Berlin. She's made it in Atlanta. and it's always the same. It doesn't matter what tomato she's using. She puts flour in it and she browns the mints separately to like putting the tomatoes in and stuff for a very long time, which I don't have the patience for. So I think that's probably it. But none of us can do it. None of us can get it right. So it will die with her. I've tried. And my daughter loves it. It's just very, yeah, she's great. It's really great. I saw something on Instagram yesterday about how apparently if you have three children, you are the most stressed version of a mother.

22:24You may as well round up to four and you'll be less stressed. See? Apparently three is chaotic. How many did you have? Three. How was it? It was fine. It was chaotic. Was it? Yeah. I'm receiving an hour. It was chaotic. We had a party house. Anyway, so your mum's bag bowl, legendary. Yes. Still is. Do you like these, by the way? I love coronation chicken. Did you have to eat a lot when you were promoting being Queen Elizabeth? No, I didn't eat any. Oh. Little finger sandwiches. You looked so glamorous as the Queen. I never thought of her as glamorous as you made her look. You made her look wonderful.

23:04I certainly didn't feel glamorous. But I think you glowed with the love she had for Philip. Did you? Yeah, I do. Wow, you're a beauty. I'm not an author than I knew. And Anne Boleyn. You've done all the Queen's. I went to see Six, the musical at the weekend. Oh, we went really fun. I've never seen it. How old's your daughter? She's seen it. She's about to be 11. Oh, okay. She loves it. Absolutely loves it. What a great idea for a musical. It's really fab. Genius. We've got the soundtrack. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Beheaded. Die. I mean, in my dream life, I would be Anne Boleyn in that musical. She was fab.

23:37She was fab. Can you sing? Mm-mm. No, not at all. Have you tried to learn funny roles? Well, I mean, I went to drama school for a whole year. and they tried really hard. And I just kept giving, get the singy, like the speak singy songs. Yeah. So I got Whiskey Bar by the Doors. I think the Bertolt Brecht, like the, I'll show us. Anyway, no, don't make me. You're probably going to be in Hamilton. What, the rapping? They're very good singers. You see, you have to be really good singers. But they do, some of it is kind of like speaky singy. It is, but there is a ton of, Yeah, you have to really be in control of it.

24:18And I just, I'm not, I'm all over the show and it's a disaster. Well, the quiches are not nice. I'm going in for another one. The quiches are great. I'm doing it for mum. Asparagus. Asparagus. Yeah. Delish. Coronation chicken is amazing. Good. And that's not out of a packet. You have made that. No, I made it. Wow. I poached the chicken last night. You. Yeah. And made the trifles. You've done that. Yeah. Just, I always like people to know how hard it's, but no, I don't. I think you should. When you've cooked for people, you've made it. Just add that you were at a funeral as well. No, we went to a funeral yesterday in Manchester.

24:49So we got back and I felt... No, it's a pleasure. It's a pleasure. Yeah, it was a pleasure. And I watched your film as well. Oh, Jesus. It was like a big day of grief. It was a big day of grief. It was weird watching the film having been to a funeral of someone that we were very fond of. Well, it was a cousin, and she was female. But it was kind of... It was, yeah, it was touching watching H4Hawk because of your grief, really. I mean, I find funerals, I mean, silly thing to say, I find funerals very hard. I don't know, why is it strange? I just, I find them, you know, because I've been to quite a few of them and I've been to ones of people very close to me and then I've been to ones of, you know, when you're in a supportive role, I suppose.

25:35Yeah. And I've just, me and my sister are absolutely horrendous. we can't keep it together and I just find them we were weepy weren't we no but it's funny you say the thing that we can't keep it together me and my friend Frankie we were like a friend's funeral in the summer and she said oh good you're gonna cry is just as much as me thank god because she like she was so aware that she was gonna be a weeper yeah and uncontrolled do you know what I mean some people can be more stoic or right I don't brave or what I don't know good on it It like comes out. Yeah. And it's uncontrollable. And I think, yeah, and really hard to, like when I did the eulogy and I've done a eulogy before and doing the eulogy at, you know, Brendan's funeral in the film was so, it was so real.

26:24It was like, because the whole, you know, you know, all the guests, guests, the congregation. Yeah. Were all there, all the essays were there. And so it just, it was just so, and I had to stand up. I was sitting in between my brother and my mum, Lindsay Duncan and Josh, and I was sitting there about to go up in that moment when you know you've got to stand, and you're like, oh, God, it's happening, it's happening. Heartbeats. Yeah, yeah, it was all, yeah. The last thing I saw Brendan Lee somewhere was the Banshees. Oh, which is amazing. Yeah. He's so good. He's really a good actor. It was really beautiful, your scenes together.

26:59It was so, they were glorious scenes together. I just, I already loved him, and he just wasn't let down even remotely. He was even better than you could possibly imagine, which is nuts, really.

27:19These look like enormous mini trifles. They're not very mini, are they? No, they're not, but I'm enjoying it all. I'm going to have another sandwich, Mum. I'm actually quite hungry, I realise. All right. If we were coming around to yours, oh, God, yeah, what are you cooking for us? I mean I dread it. What's your showstopper? I don't have a showstopper. I find cooking for people who come round, I find a very self-conscious. I mean my best, best mates, I'd make like a lasagna or a roast chicken. Or one year for New Year's I made like a big massive pasta. Because one of my best friends is vegan so you can do multiple different things.

27:57But none of it's like, here's my thing guys, none of it's a showstopper at all. and I would much rather like order sushi and go, there you go, I'm paying no effort, sorry. Because then I wouldn't be judged. I get being judged about what I... Do you order in? I cook at home, like I cook at home. If I'm not like entertaining, I'm cooking. But I just don't like being judged by it. I don't know why. It's a bit weird. Like, it's funny because you do a job that I guess... Yeah. You do kind of judge performances, don't they? Do you find that part a bit quite difficult or not? No. Okay, fine. everyone's entitled to that but like I'm not really bothered um and I think that I also have like this weird thing where I once it's done it's done like I don't it's almost like it's not me anymore I'm not really attached to it I don't kind of yeah it's bizarre um but cooking but cooking for some reason yeah I would yeah with my family and my my best mates I wouldn't be I'd just be like here I'm nurturing you eat it yeah but yeah if it was you know if I'm entertaining I I would be like, oh, good God.

29:02Do you entertain a lot though? And just ordering because, you know, like that's so fine. Is it? Yeah. I do. I'd like to do it more. I think that given my job, I spend a lot of time with people all day, every day. Yeah. And so home is quite like, I'm like, oh, yeah, sacred. I've always got people around, but I suppose, yeah, I'm not much of a sort of, I don't know. I think that's my New Year's resolution is to do it at least once a month. I'm going to join you on the Cosmo. Mum, do you want one? No, thanks. Do you want that one? No, thanks. I think I'm all right. Really? Would you like a trifle?

29:41Now, I can have one or the other. I can have a Madeleine or I can have a triangle. I think you want a Madeleine. Oh, I do. Go. Can I try both? What happens if I don't eat them? Do other people eat them? It doesn't matter. Okay, I'm going in. Look at this. What a combo. That is a... Look at that. Is that good? Now they call that something, on Bake Off they call that mound or something. I don't know, the mound. It's really important. And when people, when they did that on Bake Off, a lot of people didn't get the mound. So there you go. Wow, there you go. First time luck. Okay, I'm going to, these look great, Mum.

30:11These are very light. Oh my God, they're delicious. They're just like little delicious sponges. And you can put raspberries in the middle. Can you? Once I did raspberries in the middle, you can put lemon curd in the middle of it. Mm. Oh, why do you... Do you have a baker? I'm much more of a baker than I am a... So, how do you keep the lemon curd in the middle? You just smush it in. Okay. Mm. You just don't care. It bubbles out. Do you like them? But this looks really, really great. Kids love them as well. They're just so... Mm. I always get the... What are they? The Bon Mamon ones. Oh, yeah, in the little plastic.

30:46Yeah. Do you want a trifle? Yeah. I want it all, ma 'am. Go on, then. Your next role is with Richard E. Grant. Yes. Well, not next. Yes, I have done. Magic Fireway Tree is my next one. Yes. And that's the Nenid Blyton book. It sure is. Yeah. Where's that coming out? Is it a film? March the 27th. Is it your voice or your actual person? My whole person, yeah. Okay. Yeah. It's not animated as such. Obviously, there's lots of CGI in it because they're making a magical tree. But I'm mum. I'm Polly in that. And then, yeah, I think it's now called Savage House. Yes. It was called something else when we shot it.

31:23And that is with Richard, yeah. Would you ever do, do you do producing? Do you produce anything? I mean, like most people probably did in my industry, in lockdown I opened a production company and it's done nothing and I'm actually, to speak to my accountant, I'm going to shut it down. No, don't! Don't! Well, no, because I just don't. I've been involved in the early processes of things and it is really, really interesting. And it's interesting to have your opinion kind of listened to, which obviously doesn't happen a lot as an actor. but it's not my vibe I'm just not I just I'm not I'm not a hustler in that way I'm not I find that I can sometimes be quite jaded about the industry in the sense that I really believe that something should really be worth being made and I and I think other people do it brilliantly and I just could never do it I could never be Margot Robbie that's just never gonna I just can't do that I have no ability to do it it's not in my remit didn't you do that at uni cinematography yeah No, I did.

32:23I studied film. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. But I was never going to be, I mean, my idea, I thought I wanted to be a cinematographer, but I had no photography experience. So that was never going to happen. Okay. Um, how much experience can you have when you're 18? Do you know what I mean? Well, you know, you can know about how to open an aperture and all those sorts of things. I didn't know that. Um, but also I looked into applying and, um, realized that this one particular course accepted like six people and all of them had always been men so it was like a different world then um and I just didn't I didn't necessarily have the skill I didn't I suppose I didn't know anyone who did this so I didn't know what the jobs were really in a way I didn't know what the jobs were on a film set or a tv you know I didn't really know how to get into it so um yeah uni was really interesting but it definitely wasn't a producing producing such a like specific skill you have to really push that boulder up the hill even if People tell you no all the time.

33:16Do you do... What was your last theatre? My last theatre? That you went to... That she went to see? No, that she did. That I did was... Oh, my God. Is it probably Lungs that I did in... That I did pre-lockdown 2019 and then we did a version of it during lockdown. Would you do more theatre? I mean, yeah. That's the dream, really. I'm always, like, looking out for stuff and I struggle. I don't really want to do any sort of classical, necessarily reincarnations of things. You know, I don't want to really do Medea or... Yeah, I don't want to do my version of something just because it's quite like the cooking.

33:52I feel like you're just opening yourself to judgment, I suppose, in a way. But I love new writing. Because when I left drama school, new writing was the bit, like, raw court and so much emphasis was on it. And I feel like some of those writers have just gone to TV to make a living. And I just, yeah, so I'd love to do some new writing. That would be the dream. Last supper Starter, main, pud, drink of choice Okay So I'm going to have a pasta for starter Okay Oh which one? Your mum's bolognese Boy that would be big wouldn't it Maybe I'd do my mum's bolognese Just a small portion I mean really I was going to go for just a really classic like tomato and basil But I just think pasta, I love it Yeah I wonder can you eat spelt pasta?

34:41No Oh sure but gluten-free pasta is really great yeah has it got better oh yeah oh my god yeah i mean the garrafalolo oh yeah whatever it's called yeah their one's great it's like corn and rice and stuff okay um so it's great but i wouldn't choose you know i tend to not choose to supplement do you know what i mean like with other things yeah yeah i just don't have them um yeah so it'd be a pasta and there's no restrictions on my last meal because i'm gonna die okay so you might not you You might be a reprieve. Okay. So pasta with some of the nice fancy bread that you get in restaurants with a really salty butter.

35:17Jay Shiki, I need to go to Jay Shiki's because... You've never been? No, Brian Cranston was talking about it. You've never been? Never been. Oh, my God. Let's go with Fran. Oh, let's go with Fran. She'd love it. And have a delver sole. Okay. Yeah, really nice. Okay, so you're doing some nice bread. Yeah. A pasta. Yeah. And then main... Oh, this is really hard, isn't it? No. My last meal? Really? No. A big Dover sole? No. Okay. Was that yours? I loved Dover sole, actually. And Brian Cranston reminded me how much I liked it. Now, I'd have probably Christmas dinner because it's one of my favourite meals.

35:53Yeah, I think I'd have a roast dinner. Yeah. Which meat? So I tend to always have beef because I never make it at home. Yeah, me too. So maybe beef? Yorkshire? Yes. Yeah. Lots of gravy. Can you make them? I can to vary. They always taste great. Yeah, but they... Ugly is sin. And also I just think like varying degrees. I never get the fat hot enough. What are we having for a drink? An entire bottle of red wine. Okay, which red wine are we doing? A really expensive one. Anything over 14%. My agent told me is the way to go. Basically anything over 13 % is good. Or just the good age. Quick at getting drunk.

36:33No. That Chateau Hélène that I used to buy was 14%. Like, Gerona Longley was like, it's fortified wine, darling. God, she said it's so strong. It's 14%. I don't agree with a light-bodied red wine. I don't understand. I just, however, unless it's been in the fridge. Both of us have just got into Pinot Noir. And I hate myself for getting into it because I was like, Pinot Noir's like for pussies, right? Yeah, nobody's here. It doesn't sound like it is, though. It's got a big name. Are you more of a Barolo gal? Yeah, I'd say so. I like, I mean, who knew? But I like a, you know, New World wine. Which one?

37:06I like a Californian wine. Love it. Yeah. So an entire bottle of red wine and a margarita. Spicy or not, not fast. What is your pud? I find this very hard because I like anything sweet. You've talked about this before. Even though you don't have sugar. You've been really good at like... I know. Well, because now I've really trained myself. I'm like Bill Naï. Bill Naï. I loved his... We know. I mean, I want to be on his WhatsApp group about not eating sugar. Do you want me to get you in? I mean, I would, again, be intimidated, but yeah. Oh, he's like Alice produces podcasts. Well, I've eaten sugar, so I probably can't.

37:44I probably can't be on the group now. Yeah, you're a fair weather. I had an issue with it as a kid. Like, I was absolutely, like, out of control. Did your mum not let you have sugar? No, she did. And in fact, my mum was a terrible one for buying Marks & Spencer's cream cakes, like eclairs and, like, shoe buns. It's just a real thing for sort of, you know, pastry. And so, no, it wasn't that there was a lack of it. I just fucking love the stuff and I just on, on, on. But now, if I have too much, I feel nuts. You know, I don't know if this is allowed because I guess it's still sugar, but there was this thing on TikTok.

38:23Don't judge me. What are you watching? I'm immediately judging you. No, I'm not really. But you're going to try this. I know you're going to try it. What is it? Okay, Greek yogurt. Yeah. Love Greek yogurt. Yeah. Lotus Fiskoffs. you know those biscuits oh god also one of my granddad's absolute favourites let's talk about your granddad because you've bought them off twice I want to know a bit more about him people used to buy him the like you know Costco like like family pack massive things that you put in a shop where you can just pick out the hairdressers yeah you get them on the side of your coffee he loves them lotus and you get them in the in the hairdressers in a little anyway so that with Greek yoghurt yes you put them in it's really satisfying you just shove them into your Greek yoghurt yeah put it in the fridge apparently it tastes like cheesecake oh i bet it does and like kind of oh cheesecake's great but apparently everyone's going mad for it so i've i've done the experiment i'm going to try it later i'll let you know how it goes while you're watching traitors yeah great and scroll the new recipe on tiktok yeah sure working out what we're gonna feed you know don't know who we're next week anyway um so that sounds like a a delicious hold on we didn't actually no we didn't get a pudding it's because i can't decide but i think it would be you have a trio i love i mean yes i'll have a trio i love a classic pudding so i love like a jam roly-poly with custard when i was at school when i was at secondary school i used to use my lunch money to buy a sausage roll from the tuck shop at break time and then just a pudding at lunchtime i just used to eat just a pudding so i'm not really i don't care how awful it is like if it's like a school sponge like chocolate sponge with no flavoring with like custard on top I'm very happy um so maybe a jam roly-poly or I love fish rolls um with ice cream or cream have you made your own fish rolls ever no I have not I feel like you could yeah I mean I've done I've done the pastry very easy yeah I've done the pastry I'd like to do the filling that would be satisfying yeah um but basically anything on any list of any love of creme brulee love i mean i love them all so i i maybe i could have one of those trolleys that is all the old for the brand new trolley yeah i used to love that i would like that whole thing and then i can just choose like in jurassic park at the end where they're eating oh yes don't like jelly but um but neither do i there's no jelly no i noticed lovely lovely touch um so if we weren't going to jay sheikis where else are you loving eating and well you've been You've filmed everywhere.

40:49Is there a very memorable meal from your travels? There is a place in Seville, and I can't remember its name, which is terrible, but it's got a fish on the side. And it's like you do, I hate tasting menus, absolutely hate them with a passion. Only ever, like, tasting menus I've done, I get very anxious and worried that I'm not going to eat, and I don't, then I'm by, you know, course four, I'm full, and then just feel terrible. And they're always really expensive. So I don't like tasting menus. But I went to this place in Seville and they have this tasting wedding room. It was all like kind of ceviche and all these, this beautiful seafood and a different glass of wine, like a mini glass of wine with each course.

41:29And that was incredible. I can't remember the name of it. Because you were drunk. That's helpful. Yeah, I was so drunk. But it was really great. It had stainless, it was stainless steel inside. It was just really, really great. But yeah, I've had so many. I just live, I plan my whole day by what I'm going to eat. I can't, yeah, I can't waste a meal. Do you know in the morning what you're going to eat in the evening? Not necessarily, no. Jessie knows what she's going to eat the day before. You're like my sister. My sister plans her shop. I know. You know what? I know. I over order, actually. That's a problem me and my husband are trying to work on.

42:02Because he's just like, you bring. I was like, yeah, we've got a roast chicken. We've got a chicken supreme. We've got options. So what did you have for lunch? Well, I knew I was coming here. So you hadn't had lunch? Well, I had some cheese. that's okay crackers because i thought i was a happy medium and a pear and yeah let's talk about this smoothie with the pear you like a pear well because i don't feel like it i mean it's a sweet fruit but bananas have got too much sugar in them right so normally in my everyday life i don't eat bananas i tend to avoid apples i only have like berries basically because they're the least they've got the least sugar in them um and pears for some reason i feel like are okay because they're because they've got so many good benefits.

42:42They're good for your heart, you know. So I let pears through. Okay. Pears are good for your heart? They are. I didn't know that. My mum says that. My mum says that about everything. Everything, okay. I mean, she also gave you like cream pies and what's that, eclairs and... I love your mum. Your mum sounds great. Apples are supposed to reduce your blood pressure. I mean, anything that grows from a tree has got to be good for you. Antioxidants, isn't it? Speaking about nature, just to bring it back to the film a bit, you know, it's obviously it is a kind of celebration and um a respect for nature with the way that you watch the hawk kill and there's these beautiful scenes of landscape like did you did you find a newfound appreciation or were you kind of already a bit of a kind of fan of yeah and the natural I mean yeah it feels like you you know a bit so well no I mean I already was like so I grew up in Manchester until I was about seven and then I moved to Buckinghamshire which is sort of countryside side but it's still sort of like commuter belty I suppose but so I went on lots of walks as a child and um I absolutely hated them well they were always really long yeah and uh yeah my mum had this book and they I'd just be terrified because she'd take a page out of this sort of AA guide to walks and be like what are we doing today 11 miles um yeah like cruel um hated them but now I love her walk um and i yeah i'm i'm a daughter love a walk no i mean she does she's very very like she loves climbing a tree she loves getting dirty and she always loves it when she's on it and never wants to go home but it's getting her out the house i know that one it's pain in the ass um so yeah i already had an appreciation but not from the point of view of like birds of prey or anything like that where i grew up in buckinghamshire they reintroduced red kites so there was like a real period of time where red kites were quite a big deal you know in the Aylesbury Vale area they're a bird prey and it's got a particular tail so when they introduce them Rothschild family reintroduce them because they weren't native to here anymore they were extinct and so they bought them back and then they bought them back by basically taking over all wildlife like the parakeets but they apparently really are a nightmare they are around here they're taking over they're killing off different birds We're never going to see a goshawk in the sky in London, are we?

45:04Or anywhere else. Really? They're really, really, not reclusive, but they're really, really private. They don't, you'd have to go, you're lucky to see one in the wild. And obviously numbers are dwindling as well. Are they kind of ones that go in a pack, like, together? They're very solitary. They're very solitary, yeah. So they're not going to say, lightly hat, to the other goshawk. Lovely hat, where did you get it from? Nice, you're looking good. I haven't seen that colour before. There was that moment in the film where I thought that the hawk had made a friend, but no, he was going to kill the bird.

45:35Oh, yeah. Yeah, I was like, oh, sweet, take a flight. Oh, little mates, let's have fun. I mean, because I'm so, don't know anything about nature or birds. So I was like, that's cute. Well, no, because the females often kill the males. Wonderful fact. But yeah, they sort of tend to mate and then they separate and then obviously they bring up the young. But that doesn't happen very often, you know. It's very rare. So they're, yeah, very isolated birds. What was the most taxing or testing day on set with, I don't know, which bird was... Oh, my God. I mean, there were a lot. Yeah. Oh, my God. That's a really hard question because...

46:21That walking through Cambridge, was that quite hard or not? That was hard because of the humans, not because of the birds. Because there's just lots of... I'm sort of amazed in those situations that lots of people just don't notice. They don't notice that you're sitting there with a lovely great bird. Were they Cambridge a bit like that? Do you think so? Yeah. But weren't they extras? No, they're ordinary people. We couldn't afford that many extras. No. Yeah. Okay, I thought they were extras. No, no, no. So people would take photographs of me with the bird and think that I was like a sort of, you know.

46:50Well, Helen did walk around Cambridge with Mabel, yeah. Yeah. So I've never seen anyone walking this. She's still alive? No, Mabel sadly died. When did she die? A couple of years after the film, she said she got a fungal infection, which girls hawks sometimes get. But Helen still has a jar of her feathers, of Mabel's feathers on her desk. Sweet. I know. Before we let you go, can you, I mean, it's Madeline's today, which is very Prussian, a nostalgic taste that can take you back somewhere. Oh, God. I don't want to say school sponge because I don't really want to go back to school. Really? Probably, this is quite gross, but probably my nan and granddad's house and a fry up with black pudding frowned upon and a really crispy bacon and an egg.

47:39And there was always more people than you thought would have stayed over. So you'd get two pieces put on your plate of bacon and then one would be taken away. And you'd always be like, you know, you'd have to defend your plate. But I think probably, yeah, a fry-up at my nan and granddad's house where the dog, Zuki, would also get a fry-up and cups of tea in his dog bowl. Zuki? Zuki. What kind of dog? Irish Red Setter. Absolutely mad. Mad dog. But yeah, that would probably be that. Claire Foy, thank you so much for coming on. Thank you so much. And good luck with the film. It's really beautiful.

48:18Oh, that's very fun. And you're fantastic. You are fantastic in everything you do. I'm not you are you are you're brilliant it's always such a thrill and a pleasure to watch you on the screen because you are an absolute star thank you so much honestly I love watching you and everything that you do you say that because I'm Fran's friend no no I'm saying I mean it definitely helped me know who you were when you were in The Promise but I honestly you are phenomenal in everything that you do

49:02Claire Foy so fun and lovely just gorgeous and like talented and self-effacing and just wonderful just fabulous just like a normal human not really royalty loved her just lovely she ate all the food she did yeah Even though she's got an autoimmune disease. She doesn't eat gluten or sugar, and the whole thing was gluten and sugar. It was high on gluten and sugar. But if someone had told me... She did say. We love someone that's willing to flare their autoimmune disease up. We appreciate that. Thank you, Claire Fawry. H's for Hawk is out now. She is wonderful. Really wonderful. It's a really interesting film.

49:49and if you've read the book, then you should absolutely go and watch it. But if you haven't, it's just seeing her with five gosthawks. She commands every scene. Yeah. And she's amazing. Mum, the food was great. Oh, was it? Loved it. Good. Like really had to hold back on those finger sandwiches. Did you? You and the finger sandwiches are just... It's one of my strong points. What do you do? I don't know. You get the right quantity of filling. Because I like sandwiches. yes and i think if you like sandwiches you know how to make a good maybe you should open a sandwich shop okay just in my spare time in your yeah because i don't have much on the madelines are delicious so easy to make and i feel really i look yeah they looked really worth buying the molds wasn't it yeah yeah i'm gonna i'm gonna text joe and say a big hit because the chiropractor Yeah.

50:45He told me to use the more complicated recipe, but I think that recipe was just used. What did you use? Give them a shout out. Good food. Were they called Easy Madelines? Yeah, but they were lovely and it's 50-50-50. Oh, I love it when it's that. 50 of... It had that like little crunch around the end. Yeah, I think that was just a tribute to the silicon moulds. Wow, I loved it. thank you for watching and thank you for listening and we will see you next week for more table manners